We learned the Sea
by Miss Starry Skies
Summary: After coming back down from the bean stalk with Emma, Hook decides that for his passage to Storybrooke the four women are the lesser of two evils. On their dangerous quest to retrieve the magic embers from Cora the women must learn to trust a pirate and Hook finds that one of them touches a part of him he has thought was long dead... (AU set after 2x04 - Sleeping Hook)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So here it is. I'm not cut out for NaNoWriMo. And after the "Interaction" debacle the fandom needs a little fluffed up Hook (mind you, I started writing this on November 1st, when my hopes were still up high^^). Thanks to Kris for beta reading this *hugs***

**Have fun! =)  
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Aurora was scrared to fall asleep.

Snow might have told her that the nightmares were nothing but a side effect of the sleeping curse and would fade with time but that didn't make up for the terrors the young woman was facing every time she closed her eyes. It seemed almost ironic to her – the princess who had slept through the end of the world – was now wide awake with dread. She hadn't had one good minute of sleep since Philip had come and broken her curse.  
She had been so happy then, opening her eyes to the sight of his smiling face, older than it had been in her memories and less innocent but still the face of the man she loved. The future had seemed so bright and full of possibilities.  
Just for one fleeting moment the world had been hers to take on and right there, in the arms of her beloved, she had been more than ready to. It had been her dream come true.  
But then, like all dreams do, it had all ended and left nothing but monsters and nightmares and a void in her heart that could never be filled. Philip was dead. Instead of living her happy ever after she was now stuck with three strange warrior women who made her feel pathetic and weak and useless and a pirate who was likely to betray them the first chance he got.  
And somewhere along the way they had stumbled headfirst into this crazy quest that could cost all of their lives. Aurora was still unsure if it was really worth it. What could really be gained if Cora did not make it to this strange place called 'Storybrooke'? What use was it to those left behind with her in what was left of the Enchanted Forest? She could see why Snow and Emma were fighting so desperately to get back to their loved ones and the pirate was so eager for his revenge on Rumplestilzkin, that he would have given his other hand to finally have it. But what about her?  
Aurora would be alone there, just as she was alone now. No family, no loved ones. What was there waiting for _her_ if she went to this new world with the others? Revenge, maybe. Revenge on the monster that unleashed the Wraith and took her Philip. But it wouldn't bring him back, so was it really worth dying for? "Philip, what do I do…?" she whispered.

There was no answer, only the sounds of animals and the not so far away noises of battle. The war was never far away these days.  
Snow and Emma were asleep, so was the pirate who they had tied sitting up against a tree for the night. Mulan was patrolling somewhere in the woods, taking the first shift of the vigil. Aurora turned around to lay on her back with a deep sigh. She had been huddled on her side, close to the warmth of the fireplace, but she wanted to watch the stars like she had done with her mother when she couldn't sleep as a child. Maybe this would help keep the monsters away. Unfortunately though, these parts of the woods the treetops were so thick that she couldn't see the sky.  
"I wonder what's keeping you awake, Princess."

Aurora just barely suppressed a startled cry that would have alarmed the others. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed she wasn't the only one who was still awake.  
The pirate – she still didn't know if she should address him as Killian Jones or Captain Hook, if at all – was watching her through the dim light of the half burnt campfire with that trademark half grin even the most dangerous of situations would never completely wipe off his face.  
Now it was so broad it even reached his eyes. He took obvious enjoyment in the fact he had scared her. "I didn't frighten you, did I, Your Majesty?"  
There was something about the way he said 'your majesty' that made Aurora grind her teeth. It was so demonstratively lighthearted that it verged on mockery.  
"Of course not." she answered with as much dignity as she could embody from where she was half laying on the cool forest ground.  
Aurora sat up and wrapped her scarf tighter around herself. She leaned closer to the fire and put on a few more of the dry branches she had collected earlier while the others had set up the camp. She eyed him up over the tongues of fire now licking away at the cool air around them.

He was dirty and in desperate need for a shave. His hair was a thick, black mess and made a rather intriguing contrast to his steel blue eyes.  
There was a nasty cut on his right cheek which reached down almost all the way from his eye to the corner of his mouth. It was a small miracle that this was the only injury Emma and he had suffered when they had fled down the bean stalk with the compass in their possession and a very angry giant on their heels.  
"Does it hurt?" she asked and pointed to the wound on his cheek, careful not to sound like she really was concerned. He was still just a pirate after all.  
"What? This…?" he reached up to touch his cheek but was cut short by the thick rope that tied him to the tree. He rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh that was just a tad too theatrical to be real. Aurora asked herself if there was anything in this world that this man took seriously.  
"It's nothing" he finally said with a shrug. And with a chuckle he added: "Why? You're not worried about me, are you, Milady?"

He might have played it light but Aurora hadn't missed that short moment when his face had contorted into a grimace of pain, before falling back into his regular expression of slight amusement.  
"Of course not." Aurora shot back with disdain. "Don't be absurd."  
Hook seemed to bask in her visible discomfort. "That's harsh, Princess. I was honestly touched for a moment. Now be a doll and fetch me the black flask from my satchel, will you?" He asked sweetly.  
There were a lot of answers to this infamy that Aurora had on the tip of her tongue but she decided they would have been wasted on a man who wouldn't take them to heart anyway. It was obvious that he was just trying to wind her up.  
So instead of wasting her breath, she just scowled at him and stood up to get his satchel from where it was lying in a small pile with all their other belongings.  
She tried not to look too closely when she rummaged through it to find said flask. When she had finally found it –even without looking she couldn't help the sudden urge to wash her hands – she went over to where he was sitting, very careful to keep a safe distance, and held it out to him.  
He looked up at her with mild amusement. "As much as I would love to help myself here, I have to remind you – and I'm not speaking figuratively – my hands are tied. I'm afraid I have to ask you to assist me. _Please_." His grin grew even wider, when Aurora blushed furiously.

She opened her mouth to say something but found that she was mute with embarrassment. Ever the proud queen in waiting – that Hook had only been able to catch the tiniest glimpse of when she had volunteered to go with him - she drew her chin and uncorked the flask with a look that was fit to make a man wilt. She wrinkled her nose at the sharp smell of alcohol.  
"Here", she said. '_Choke on it_' was what he read in her eyes.  
"Thank you", Hook smirked and there was a smug gleam in his eyes when he felt her hand tremble the tiniest bit as he plucked the flask from it with his mouth. The flask was almost empty. He had used most of what he had left of his rum on Emma's hand – bloody waste. However, after days of abstinence and his dance with death earlier that day, Hook still cherished the warm feel of it running down his throat. When he had downed every last drop, he let the empty bottle unceremoniously drop to his lap.  
"Just what I needed." He beamed up at her like a boy who had been allowed chocolate before supper. "Cleansing from the inside out."  
Aurora just rolled her eyes at him. "It won't help you with this," she noted, nodding to the cut on his cheek. "You should have used that to do a little cleansing from outside."

She reached into her saddlebag she had brought back from the pile as well and pulled out a laced handkerchief. Pretending she didn't see the derisive look that Hook gave the fine piece of woven fabric, she wetted it with water from her canteen. Aurora knelt down in front of Hook and – much gentler than she would have thought was possible after the last few minutes – reached the handkerchief to his face.  
She couldn't help a little smirk of her own when he subconsciously shied away from her hand. "Don't tell me you're afraid of a little water, Captain."  
"I'm not as much afraid of water as I am of women with a tendency to scowl at me the way you do," he gave back but allowed her to carefully put the wet cloth against his cheek to clean the wound. For an instant she caught herself hoping that it wouldn't leave a scar. "And it's Killian for you, Princess."  
"There would be no need to scowl at you if you showed a little courtesy every now and then, _Captain_." Aurora retorted, purposely sticking to the more formal way of addressing him.  
"I got you the compass, didn't I?" Hook sounded almost offended. "And I didn't leave Emma to face the giant alone. I tell you with me it doesn't get much better than that." He looked at her, holding her gaze for a moment and there was a glint in his eyes that Aurora couldn't quite place.  
"Although I could try my hand at a little courtly love, if you please, but for that I'd suggest you untie me first."

Aurora pulled her hand away like she had been burned. She was suddenly very aware of their proximity and she felt foolish for the effect his words had on her. More than that, however, Hook had a way of looking at her that made her all too conscious about the fact that she had never been particularly close to any man other than Philip.  
It made her feel uncomfortable, like the innocence she had been praised for in the past had somehow become a crucial disadvantage in this new world she had woken up in. She cleared her throat and tried to inconspicuously scoot away from him.  
"I'm making you uncomfortable", Hook noted, but if he was pleased by it, he made an effort not to show it. "I'm sorry, Princess. I'm not used to being in the company of proper ladies. And I suppose living amongst sailors for so long has done no good for my manners either. I was being way out of line and I apologize." He nodded at the handkerchief that lay forgotten on the ground between them. "That was very kind of you. Thank you."

"That was nothing." Aurora quickly dismissed, scooting away just a little more before making herself comfortable; her legs tugged close to her chest, her face turned slightly away from him and towards the crackling fire.  
"Speaking of that compass", she went on, after a moment of awkward silence. Aurora was actually thankful that Hook had brought it up earlier, because she really wanted to talk about it but had a feeling like no one around her was telling her anything even remotely important. "What do we do now that we have it? I know, you said it will show us the way to this '_Storybrooke'_ place, but how do we get there when Cora still has the embers that we need to open a portal?"  
"That, my dearest Princess, is a most challenging question and the answer to it is just as simple as it is tricky to follow through with." Aurora looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. Now, without the rags he had used to disguise himself with, he really was the perfect image of a rakish corsair; a ravishing hero who belonged in romantic stories young girls would whisper about behind closed doors. Even though he was tied up and bloody and exhausted she found that he had something radiant about him. He was, she realized, brimming with a zest for action. "We are going to steal it from her. The embers... and something else."

"Something else?" Aurora asked, suddenly intrigued. "What else does Cora have that we need?"  
Hook didn't answer at once and his gaze seemed to be somewhere far away, as he looked into the flames. Aurora could see its reflections dance in his eyes while his mind wandered places she had never seen nor heard of. "My ship," he finally replied and there was a grim draft tugging at the corners of his mouth. "She has the 'Jolly Roger' and I have every intention of getting her back."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here I am, back with the next chapter! Thank you so much for the follows, favourites and kind reviews, they made me very happy. From here on I will try to update this fic once every weekend, so you and I know what to expect and when. Thanks again to Kris, I love you *hugs*  
PS: Feedback is always appreciated ;-)  
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"Your ship."  
Emma looked at Hook like he had lost his mind. "You expect us to march into whatever trap Cora might have prepared for us just so you can get your ship back? Really?"  
"I told you he couldn't be trusted." Snow simply stated while she fastened the quiver over her shoulder.  
"We should have left him for the ogres instead of wasting our time with him." Mulan looked at the pirate like he was something she had found sticking to the soles of her boots, while she put the ties back around his wrist.  
"I think you should hear him out."

The three women turned around to Aurora in surprise. "Say what?" Emma asked; not quite sure if maybe her ears had played a trick on her.  
The young princess, however, just looked back at her with her chin raised in something close to defiance. She briefly reminded Emma of Henry when he was being stubborn about making a point to her and for a moment her heart ached with the desperate need to get back to her son as soon as possible.  
"Whoever unleashed the Wraith that killed my Philip did it from your world. I want to see him dead and I don't care what I have to do to see this through. I talked to the Captain last night while you were asleep and he really has a plan."  
"Oh does he…?" Emma raised her eyebrows at him, still not convinced. But she was willing to listen to what Captain Hook – she would never get over this sudden turn for the crazy her life had taken those last few months – had to say. If he was lying, she would find out soon enough and they could figure out some other way to get back home. For now his plan – _if_ he really had a plan – would be as good as any other. "I'm all ears, Captain."

"It's rather simple really. Simple, yet brilliant."  
If Hook was somehow affected by the way the women were usually talking about him like he wasn't even there, he didn't give it away. As always he seemed completely unfazed by both their open distrust towards him or the way the outlandish warrior woman was about to once again drag him behind her on a leash like he was a stray dog.  
"I should probably tell you upfront it's not really my idea. It's what I think Cora has been planning all along. You see, the 'Jolly Roger' is more than just a ship. And I'm not just saying this because she's mine…"  
There was an almost tender undertone to his voice when he talked about his ship, which Aurora had already noticed when they had first been talking about it the other night. She wasn't quite able to explain why but she found it oddly touching to know that there were some things in this world even a pirate could feel truly passionate about.  
"She has travelled between worlds before, this beautiful ol' lady. First to Neverland and then…"  
"Peter Pan used it to bring Wendy and her little brothers home to London." Emma finished his sentence for him, quickly catching up on his train of thoughts, even though she had trouble picturing a pirate ship mystically appearing in the night sky over London.  
"I'm not sure how exactly you've come to know all this but yes. It's true." Hook sounded genuinely impressed. "That flying brat stole the 'Jolly Roger" and used her to take those children to what I believe is your realm." To Emma's surprise his voice lacked any sign of disdain when he talked about who she had learned was his nemesis. She remembered what he had told her on their way up the bean stalk – about spending time with the Lost Boys – and she wondered if maybe it hadn't all been a shitload of lies after all.  
"I never got her back – and trust me when I tell you that leaving Neverland without a vessel isn't fun. Next time I hear of her, she's lying anchored in a secret bay near Cora's lair. I barely had a chance to look at her but from what I could see, I'd say my beautiful girl is still bristling with fairy magic and that's exactly why Cora is holding on to her. I think she wants to use the ashes from the wardrobe to open a portal, and then use the 'Jolly Roger' to cross it."  
"It would make sense. And you suggest that we try to beat her to it? Steal the ashes and re-capture your ship?" Emma exchanged a quick glance with Snow and saw the same raw mixture of doubt and hopes that was just now coursing through her, mirrored on her mother's face.  
It was a long shot at best. There was no guarantee the pirate ship would really be able to take them where they needed it to take them. Sure, it had done so before but that had been in another time and – even if her definition of "reality" had become quite flexible lately – probably yet another world. Fairytale London would have been one thing, but their world? Storybrooke?  
Emma had her doubts but she was ready to have the bounds of her imagination bent once more if it meant she found a way back home. "What the hell! I'm in if the others are."

"That's all well and good but it's not a plan." Mulan, always the dispassionate voice of reason, countered. "It's an idea at best, but we'll need more than that if we want to stand a chance against Cora and her dark magic."  
"It's still better than anything we've come up with so far." Aurora surprised them once more by speaking up. "In fact, everything we've done to get closer to actually opening a portal, we couldn't have done without Hook. I say we do as he proposed."  
Snow watched the younger woman take a stand with a peculiar sense of paternal pride. This was so different from the Aurora she had first met. Snow still thought that revenge was the wrong way to go about a broken heart – wasn't this what had brought all this suffering over the realm to begin with? – but at least the princess had taken her advice to heart and was trying to find a way to 'channel her anger' by attempting to stand her ground without someone stepping up for her. Right then and there though, Snow was unsure if it was a good or a bad thing. That pirate had already put her daughter in mortal danger by talking her into stealing that compass, should she really risk any more danger to their lives by also entrusting him with the further course of their quest?  
At the same time there was no denying that Aurora was right. Whatever progress they had made in those past few days, they couldn't have done it without the pirate's help, and she knew Emma well enough to know that her daughter had already made up her mind about the whole operation. There wasn't much of a choice left to make for her. "I'm in."  
They all looked at Mulan, who accepted the mutual decision with her usual calmness. "You know I'll go wherever you go."

"So that's settled then", Hook exclaimed cheerfully. "Cora's lair is a two days march east at the coast. That's how long we have to come up with a plan. I'm always open for suggestions, ladies."

* * *

By the time the sun had started to go down in their backs, they had made camp on a little clearing. They had been heading east the whole day, barely talking and only stopping when their aching feet and empty stomachs had left them no other choice. Emma and Mulan had gone to collect fire wood, while Snow tried to catch fish in a nearby stream. Aurora had been left behind to have an eye on the camp – and on Hook, who once again would have to spend a night bound to a tree. At least this time Mulan had only tied the lose end of his leash to a high branch instead of binding him to the trunk by his chest, thereby allowing him to lie down and even move around a little if he wanted to.  
He had been secretly hoping though that by now they would trust him enough to do without the bonds. Emma was carrying the compass around with her everywhere she went and Snow was holding on to his hook like it was her hostage, so what was the worst he could do? But he understood that he had to adapt himself to the women's pace if he wanted to accomplish anything with them. The way Aurora had taken his side in the morning had been a start but he was well aware that just one wrong step on his part could undo it in the blink of an eye.  
Hook watched the princess, who was sitting on a log a few yards away and was just now busy taking off her silly laced-up shoes to rub her aching feet. He had been asking himself for days now how long she would insist on walking around in that highly impractical attire of hers.

The nifty lavender dress, while certainly being easy on the eye, kept getting caught in brushwood left and right and was already torn to shreds around her ankles; the shoes were obviously not made for long marches over hill and over dale; and just one look at her and the way she set up her little tent as close as possible to the fireplace every night was enough to understand that this pathetic feathered shawl did nothing to keep her warm. Every morning she spent quite some time on straightening the intricate makeup of braids and curls and glittering headdress. She drove Emma and Mulan crazy with it. To Hook though, there was something about the way she was so stubbornly clinging to her bonny appearance, even in a mess like theirs, that he found strangely endearing.

_Theirs_.

Hook had no idea where this thought had come from all of a sudden, but he found that it was rather alarming. He had to be very careful not to become too comfortable around those ladies or he would find himself in trouble should he be forced to side with Cora in the end. Because he would be going to – side with her – if ultimately this was what the choice he had to make to take his revenge on Rumplestilzkin.

"You are staring at me."  
Aurora's voice put Hook out of his silent reverie. He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realized he was still looking at her. "It's unnerving and I wish you to stop."  
Hook felt his lips widen into a grin despite himself. He was starting to get a feeling that the little princess was a lot gutsier than he had first given her credit for. He found that he rather liked it.  
She might still have been a warm breeze compared to the three other women that destiny had afflicted him with, but he had obviously been wrong when he had assumed that there wasn't much more to her than that pretty face.  
"What if I can't, Your Highness?" he asked with a playful wink. "Maybe I'm so enthralled by your beauty that I can't tear my eyes off of you."  
"I doubt it," Aurora replied dryly and slipped her shoes back on with a sigh. At this point she would have given anything for a hot bath and a fresh set of clothes. "And I am not going to fall for your sweet-talking, so you can stop that as well."  
"You have yet to see me sweet-talking, Princess." Hook gave back good-naturedly. He went to sit down on the log with her but the leash proved too short, so instead he settled with plopping down on the ground next to her. Aurora hurried to let her skirts fall back over her ankles, but she didn't move to get away and Hook took this as a good sign.  
"But I wanted to thank you for the way you took my side this morning." He looked up at her. "I have to admit I was quite impressed."

"Oh, were you? And why is that?" There was a sudden blaze in her eyes and Hook realized that whatever it was she thought he had meant to say had obviously upset her. "Maybe because no one here really cares about what I have to say? Because I am just a burden and the only reason the others would take me with them was so that I wouldn't be left behind all on my own? And Mulan just keeps me around out of duty for a dead man. I can't yield a sword or shoot a bow, so I am bound to stand back and watch. A silly girl with silly dreams. Yesterday I wasn't even good enough to sacrifice myself for you. But let me tell you something, Captain Hook. You know nothing about me. None of you do."  
"I'm beginning to think so, too…" Hook regarded her thoughtfully. Apparently this had been eating away at the girl for some time now, to come raining down on him like this. It made him curious. "Then tell me about you."

"What? Why would I do that?"  
Hook could almost feel her pulling away from him – her anger suddenly replaced by suspicion and he was almost sure that this had been the one wrong move to bring down all prior sympathy. For a moment he just sat there and wished himself back to his old life, where he had been the one to call the shots. He simply wasn't made to tread lightly, especially not around womenfolk. And he had managed to engage himself with a very special breed of women here, one that was neither wooed nor impressed by what he had to offer; and that was what he had always thought of as a roguish but still rather charming nature. Apparently that same nature lost its effect offsite of shady quayside taverns. He very much felt like a fish out of water.  
"You might as well", he eventually answered with a shrug. "We're here alone while the rest if off doing important things, why not tattle a bit to pass the time?"  
Aurora contemplated his words for a bit. She had wanted to talk about it for quite some time now, had tried to do so with Mulan once – "You're not the only one who knows about sacrifice." – but she had never felt like her companions really wanted to hear anything she had to say, let alone tell them about her past. A pirate may not have been the conversational partner she would have chosen deliberately but Hook was there and, honest or not, he had offered her an open ear. And there really was nothing else to do until the others returned.  
"Alright, I'll tell you. But one word of mockery and today was the last day you have me siding with you."  
"Oh, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Hook teased but quickly sobered up when she gave him a warning glance.  
She then surprised them both by letting herself slip to the ground next to him, comfortably resting her back against the massive trunk with her legs tugged to her chest in the same fashion he had seen her do it the other night. He didn't know why but he caught himself thinking it made her look particularly young and vulnerable. Hook couldn't say he was too pleased about the way he was starting to notice things like that about his companions. It nearly equaled caring about them and he had spent years trying very hard not to care about anyone or anything other than his thirst for revenge.  
He wondered if maybe Cora would have been the better ally after all. At least with her he wouldn't have had to worry about things like sudden sympathy for his associates.

In the meantime Aurora found she had a hard time deciding how to start telling her story; how to put into words this tragedy which had first overshadowed and then destroyed her whole life. Even in a world like theirs, full of magic and impossibilities, how was she supposed to tell someone that she had spent the last few years sleeping in the ruins of her palace while the world had come down around her?  
She could feel Hook's eyes on her, not teasing or testing for once, but patiently waiting for her to begin.

"When I was born, my parents invited the twelve fairies who resided in our kingdom to be my godmothers. For my christening, there was a lavish celebration during which they all were given a small golden casket filled with jewels and gold. I reckon you would have liked it.  
"There was, however, another fairy called Maleficent, who had been living hidden away in a dark tower at the far end of our kingdom, and whom my parents had failed to invite to be a godmother. When she appeared at the feast, my parents asked her to stay and sit with her sisters, but of course there was no golden casket for her.  
"No one thought anything by it until it was time for the fairies to offer me their gifts. The first gifts I was offered were the gifts of beauty, song, grace, intelligence, kindness, honor, dance, diplomacy, gentleness, integrity and the ability to talk to animals – don't think I didn't see that smirk, Captain. I know it sounds silly- Then it was Maleficent's turn.  
"What she gave me wasn't a gift. It was a curse. On the day I came off age, I was to prick my hand on a spindle and die. The last fairy hadn't given me her gift yet, so she traded it in favor of weakening the curse – instead of dying I merely was to fall into an enchanted sleep until the day I would be awakened by true love's kiss…"

Aurora had unconsciously started to pluck at the moist moss that was growing all around them while she had been talking. She had been relieved to be able to share her story with someone, but now that she was actually doing it, she couldn't help but feel like it was a mistake to reveal so much of her and to a man she barely knew, let alone trusted.  
She didn't even dare to look at him. Instead, her eyes were fixed on a tiny spot of sunlight the late evening sun was casting through the tree tops. There was a soft wind blowing through the leaves which made the light dance almost playfully over the ground.

"I had a wonderful childhood. My parents did everything in their power to make sure I never had to wish for anything. But as time passed even I could sense that something wasn't right. They finally told me on my birthday the year before I came off age. I had just met Philip on the ball they had given in my honor. I was drunk with love and full of dreams for the future, so on that night, it meant the end of the world to me. My last year went by in a haze – looking back I wish I had lived it with more care.  
"My father passed a law, ordering all spindles in the kingdom to be burnt. I don't even want to think about the lives this destroyed. A month before my birthday, we left the palace in the dark of the night and sought refuge in a neighboring kingdom. I wasn't allowed to go outside and there were guards watching my every step. My birthday came and passed and nothing happened.  
"Of course we were wary at first. My parents had been scared of this curse for so long. But when the days went by and still nothing happened, we began to hope. We really thought we had beaten the curse. I was planning my future. Philip and I were planning _our_future together. We wanted to get married in the spring. The ceremony was to be held in the rose garden of our palace… But it turned out Maleficent had other plans."

Aurora had to blink against the sudden sting of tears at the memory. She had been so close to her happy ending, just to have it taken away. Ever since Philip had died she had begun to ask herself if maybe this was her real curse.

"It wasn't long before the crops started to writher on the fields. The cattle got sick and died. Our kingdom was starving. We had trifled with fate and our people were paying the price.  
"My parents were petrified with dread. For years their only worry had been to save me from that curse. Now their people were suffering terribly and they knew exactly what had to be done to put an end to it. But they couldn't.  
"I don't want you to think they were cowards, because they were not. They loved me like all parents should love their children. They had done everything in their power to keep me safe, how were they supposed to sacrifice me?  
"So I ran away in the middle of the night. I left a letter for my parents. Then I went to see Philip. I kissed him goodbye and made him swear that he wouldn't come after me. I should have known that he wouldn't keep this promise.  
"I went back to the palace. I had always loved living there, but abandoned as it was, it reminded me of a giant tomb. I wandered the palace in search for Maleficent, I had been so sure she would be there but she wasn't. Instead I found a spindle standing in the heart of our rose garden. Waiting for me.  
"Of course I now know that every sleeping curse must be taken willingly, that there was no danger for me other than the one I was purposely seeking out that night. Maleficent had toyed with my parent's fears for all my life, but I didn't know that. I was walking into a carefully prepared trap, believing I was being heroic.  
"But I was scared. Even now I can't find the words to describe how scared I was. I was afraid that, in spite of everything, I was going to die. At the same time I wasn't sure if maybe death would have been more merciful a fate.  
"In the end it did not matter though. I had come to save my people and I was not going to run away out of fear. So I touched the spindle and just as the dark fairy had foretold, it pricked my hand.  
"I had expected the world around me to fade away as I fell asleep but it didn't, not really. I felt my body give in beneath me but my mind was wide awake and screaming in fear. I had become a prisoner in my own body; frozen in that last waking moment while around me the palace slowly came apart, losing its battle against thorn hedges and the ravages of time.  
"There were times I wished I had died instead. The prospect of spending the whole of eternity like this, awake but not awake, weighed heavy on my heart. It would have been so easy to allow myself to despair. But then I thought of the many lives my sacrifice had saved and I found solace in it. I might not be a fighter, Captain, but I know that I am not weak."

She looked up at Hook then, waiting for him to say something that would make her regret she had told him her story, because by now she knew him well enough to know it would have been like him to do so. But he didn't.  
He just sat there and looked at her, like he was seeing her for the first time. The intensity of his gaze made her uneasy.  
"That was a very brave thing you did there", he finally said. Nothing more. And Aurora found that, at least for now, it was good enough for her.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so very much for your support! I'm glad people like this story, because I really enjoy writing it. And since the fandom needs some pick-me-up after the nasty ship war that had been raging those past days, I am glad I can now post the new chapter. Thank you, Kris for the beta work *kisses***

* * *

"I don't mean to be a bother, but I believe you still have to let me in on whatever plans you have made to retrieve my ship and that flask of glittery dust."

Hook was in an exceptionally good mood. Shortly after that tender moment of sympathy between him and the princess he had already returned to his usual flamboyant self and when the others had returned to camp it had been like nothing had happened in their absence. Only the occasional glances the young girl had covertly flashed him over their scarce meal of roasted fish had been testimony of what they had shared earlier.  
He finally had been able to get some sleep that night, the way his hands had been under constant draught from where they had been tied to that stupid tree still slightly uncomfortable, but it had still been a thousand times better than spending another night forced into a sitting position.  
Things had continued to get even better for him in the morning, when Mulan – still as morose towards him as ever – had taken off the leash. His arms were still bound together in front of him, but at least he was allowed to walk by himself and at this point of his journey he had begun to cherish every little progress.  
After all, they were on their way to re-capture the 'Jolly Roger' and sail to the realm where he would finally be able to take revenge on his crocodile. For now this was everything he could possibly wish for; this and a plan, of course.  
"Right our plan…"

Emma, who had been walking a few feet in front of him, turned around. There was this slight tone to her voice Hook had by now learned to recognize as sarcasm. "I'm very sorry to disappoint you, Captain, but as much as I've been racking my brain, I can't think of a way we can possibly outsmart a woman who is able to magically kick all of our asses without even having to get hers out of bed first."  
"Emma is right", Snow said. "We've seen what she's done to the people of the sanctuary. And we don't know how long she has been posing as Lancelot, but no one ever suspected anything. This is very powerful, very dark magic."  
"So we have nothing", Hook noted and suddenly jerked to a halt. There went his high spirits. "We are about half a day away from what might become the biggest, most dangerous fight of our lives and we have nothing."

"If _you_have anything useful to say, we'll be all too glad to hear you out." Mulan jeered and from the look she was giving him, she already regretted letting him off that leash. The outlandish Amazon might have been their most reliable asset in a fight, but Hook had no way other than to admit to himself that her obvious reservations against him were really starting to worry him.  
Hungry ogres and a vicious Cora seemed to lose a lot of their horror compared to the immediate threat of that woman's impossibly sharp sword. He had already lost one hand, and he had felt exceedingly attached to the remaining parts of his body ever since. But in no way did it mean that Captain Killian 'The Hook' Jones was allowing himself to be daunted by a woman.  
The only woman who had ever succeeded to do so – and the only one he had ever permitted to – had been Milah. And whatever small part of himself that out of love had consented with this rare display of inferiority had died on deck of his ship, on the day his Milah had drawn her last breath in his arms.  
"I'm really doing all the work here, aren't I? As a matter of fact, I really do have a proposition to make", Hook declared with what he knew, was his cockiest and most unnerving grin, but not before bringing a few feet's distance between himself and Mulan. Just in case. "It's quite obvious, isn't it? If what we're up against is dark, powerful magic, then dark, powerful magic is what we need to endow ourselves with. Therefore I suggest we take a little detour via the '_Nine Ogres_' and see what we can get our hands on."  
"The '_Nine Ogres_'?" Snows eyes grew wide with unpleasant surprise. "Don't tell me this horrible, obscene place still exists."

"Aye, it does", Hook nodded. He was visibly satisfied with the impact of his suggestion. "And my bet is that it's become even more obscene since you have last heard of it, Missy. Might as well be called the '_Three dozen Trolls_' now."  
"Lovely", Snow muttered through gritted teeth. "And just the kind of idea I would have expected from a pirate. Then again, knowing what we're up against I don't really see what other choice we have. Swords and arrows won't do much against Cora. Regina and Rumplestilzkin are in Storybrooke and I have been gone for too long to know where else we could turn to for help. Are you sure – one hundred percent sure – that this is our only option?"  
"Aye", Hook answered again. "Magic has become a rare and valuable good since the curse and those who have it either hoard it like others do treasures or they use it to make a good living. These are desperate times and the realm is full of people who are willing to pay dearly for a bit of magic. People like us…"  
"One _always_pays dearly for magic", Snow said, remembering all too well the many times she had been the one to pay that price. "Believe me, Captain. I would know."

"I hate to be the one to break off your little shoptalk but would someone care to tell the rookie here what the hell this '_Nine Ogres_' is?" Emma interrupted them crossly. She hated the way this whole world had her feel like a raw recruit.  
She had always prided herself for being strong and independent. She had even liked the way Mary Margaret had used to turn to her for a shoulder to lean on. Now it was like someone had flipped a coin and the roles had suddenly been reversed. Sweet innocent Mary Margaret, who had even been unable to cope with something as trivial as a one-nightstand had turned into this total stranger who had taken to their situation like a duck to water, while she had been steamrolled by the realization that everything she had ever believed in had been wrong. That there was this whole different world she hadn't known off – a world where princesses and pirates and swordfights were reality and magic seemed to be the source as well as the solution to all things evil.  
"I'm sorry, Emma." Snow gave her an apologetic look.  
Emma found it made things even worse for her. She didn't want sympathy. She wanted some answers. And a new gun.

"The '_Nine Ogres_' is a tavern – if you want to call it that. It's always been a meeting point for the most repulsive low-lives from every kingdom. Trolls, witches, gnomes, you name it. And it's a transfer site for everything dark and dangerous – like a black market for magical artifacts. Back in the days no one in their right mind would have come anywhere near it. And from what I've seen those past few days, I doubt that the guests have become more pleasant since then. It's like Hook said; they feed off the desperate."  
"Some of them very literally," Hook added jovially, pretending not to see the stern looks the women were giving him.  
"I think we should go", Aurora said and even though her voice was shaking with uncertainty, she stood there with her shoulders squared and her head held high. "It doesn't matter what awaits us there or how dangerous it's going to be, because it can't be worse than facing Cora empty handed. So what if they feed off the desperate. We _are_ desperate, aren't we?"  
"Seriously now?" Emma stared at her in disbelieve. "I really start to wonder what happened while we were up on that bean stake that made you so… badass." She let out an exasperated sigh, when all she got in response was a blank look from the princess. "Brave... I meant brave."  
"This has nothing to do with bravery", Aurora dismissed Emma's words with an impatient wave of her hand. "It's what needs to be done. We need magic."  
In any other situation she would have been ecstatic to have one of her companions acknowledge her spiritedness, no matter how odd the wording. But after night after night without sleep and days of marching with mortal fear as her constant companion, her nerves were at breaking point. She just wanted for everything to be over, no matter the cost.  
"Please, let's all take a moment to think about this. _Really_think about it." Snow pleaded. She might have been the first to see sense in Hook's proposition, but looking at Emma, Aurora and even Mulan, she had lost courage. She had been down this path before – turning to dark magic in an hour of need – and she had not forgotten about the consequences.

"She's right. Think about it", Hook said. Snow was taken aback to have him of all people agree with her. She had figured he'd done anything to get his ship back. And he had been the one to bring up the '_Nine Ogres_' in the first place. He was, she recognized, just as scared as she was. "There is no turning back once we decide to do this. And probably no coming back either."  
"I think Aurora is right. We need magic."

Hook was beginning to ask himself if maybe Mulan had no opinion of her own, but had instead taken to supporting whatever the young princess said out of some odd sense of duty he didn't understand. He would keep an eye on that, in case he ever had to use it to his advantage. He was still a pirate after all.

"I wish more than anything that all we needed was manpower and a good plan", Emma reluctantly admitted. "But I understand that things are different in this world. There are giants and ogres and I can't even begin to imagine what else. And I have no idea what to do about any of them. If you say that this tavern is the best hope we have, then I believe you. And I'll go with you."  
"I'll go where you go." Snow said; all thoughts of doubt abandoned in favor of her daughter. "Do you happen to know the way, Captain?"

"Of course I do", Hook was starting to regret he had come up with this idea, but he calmed himself with thoughts of the 'Jolly Roger' and a crocodile waiting to meet his sword. "If we move swiftly we should be there by nightfall. Have heart, ladies. You thought the bean stalk was fearsome? You might find yourself wishing you were back there once we've entered the '_Nine Ogres_'. I think now might be a good time to talk about removing those bonds and handing me my hook."

* * *

Aurora couldn't shake off the peculiar feeling that the scenery was more and more becoming a mirror of how they were all feeling inside.

They had left behind the vast, green forest just as the sun had started to set in the west. They were walking in what she believed was a parched river bed rather than an actual road. The landscape was scarce, a wide rocky desert where large boulders lay strayed like a giant's forgotten toys – and who knew; maybe they were. Scattered trees seamed their way; leafless and menacing in the twilight, like hideous creatures that were reaching for them with shadowy claws. Their steps were grating on gravel and dried grass and somewhere in the distance a strange bird was crowing an eerie tune that sent shivers down her spine. It was like she had stepped into one of her nightmares.  
Conversation, always rare and always hushed in their little party, had run out hours ago for fear that someone – or something – might hear them.  
They felt terribly exposed already and it had been a silent agreement that none of them wanted to draw any more attention than necessary.  
Hook had said they would reach the ominous tavern by nightfall. Aurora felt her steps grow heavy with the impression that even nature itself had sought to escape this place they were now voluntarily seeking out.  
She almost bumped into Hook's back, when he came to a sudden halt. "That's close enough", he whispered and motioned for them to come crouch behind one of the boulders with him.

"We're almost there", he announced gravely. Aurora didn't think she had ever seen him so serious before. Needless to say it did nothing to help her calm down. "The house lies about half a mile beyond the next bend. We have to tread very carefully from here. We don't want to draw unwanted attention from whatever might be lurking in the dark around here. It would be such a terrible waste to die before we have what we came for."  
He looked at Aurora. "Maybe you and Mulan should stay here, Princess. Together you should be safe until we return. _If_we return."  
"What makes you think I would let you to leave me here?" Aurora's voice was calm, almost icy even and laced with that innate authority that had begun to more and more shine through these past days. "You can't go in there without Mulan. And I'm not scared."  
"Don't be so foolish!" It took Hook visible effort to keep his voice down. "Of course you are scared. And you, more than any of us, should be, lassie. You are young and you are beautiful and your every posture speaks of royalty. You are gleaming with a light only the innocent have about them and there we will meet creatures that devour it like a fine wine if they can get their hands on it. No hard feelings, Aurora, but I am in no mood to shed blood for you tonight. Especially since I can't shake the very distinctive feeling it would be mainly _my_blood that gets spilled in the end."

For the first time since they had left the forest, Aurora was grateful for the darkness, because it hid the delicate blush she could feel blooming warmly on her cheeks; not because of his sweet words but because of the way in which her name, for the very first time since they had known each other, rolled over his tongue. Smooth like velvet, yet a little rough around the edges. She opened her mouth to say something, but she found her voice wouldn't comply.

"I know you're right, Hook; and I don't like idea of any of us going there but what Aurora says is true. We _will_need Mulan in there", interjected Snow, who was mistaking Aurora's sudden lack of protest as a sign of fear at Hook's harsh words. "And I don't think it's that much safer out here to begin with. We either go in together – all of us – or we can turn around and leave right now."  
"I really want to know what it is I did to deserve being cursed with you women", Hook stood up and rubbed his face with a tired groan. "Right. Fine. We'll do it your way. Here…" He took off his raggedy cloak and wrapped it around Aurora's shoulders. Then, despite her yelp of protest, he carefully pulled the glittering headband out of her hair and put it in his satchel. He looked her over critically. "Still every bit a princess. But this will have to do. Just… try not to speak. Don't do anything. And remember this: if you get me killed in there… I'll probably come back to haunt you."

* * *

Aurora wasn't sure what exactly she had expected the '_Nine Ogres_' would look like but it hadn't been the shabby, ruinous frame house that had appeared in the darkness before them. It looked absurdly misplaced in that terrible patch of land which now that even the last remnants of daylight were gone. It looked more and more like it had arisen straight from one of her nightmares.  
There was even a dim light shining behind the stained windows. It looked almost peaceful – like a beacon amidst this wasteland. She was about to ask Hook if he was sure they had come to the right place but that' was when she heard the noises. Coming from the house was an eerie mixture of low grunts, loud voices and high pitched laughter. When she heard a piercing scream that sounded like a dozen tortured souls crying for mercy all at once, Aurora was ready to run and never look back. There was a strange clicking sound underneath it all and it was only after a few moments, that Aurora realized she was shaking so bad it made her teeth clatter.

She almost jumped out of her skin, when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. It was Snow. She gave her an encouraging smile and took her hand. Aurora would have traded all the riches in all the lands for only a shred of Snow's bravery.  
"Don't worry, I'm right beside you." Snow promised and gave Aurora's hand a light squeeze. "Remember. You are _not_alone."

Aurora tried to return the smile, but another scream ripped through the night and made the blood freeze in her veins. She looked at Hook and realized that the pirate was in no way a better state of mind as herself. His steps had gone slower and slower the closer they had gotten to the house. She could see from his good hand, which was now holding the sword Mulan had taken from him when they had first met, that he was shaking, too. He was gripping the hilt so tightly his knuckles had turned white with strain.  
"Now, that doesn't look so bad, does it?" Emma asked jokingly but the slight tremor in her voice gave her away. Every bit of her mind – at least the small part that had by now come to peace with the fact that she had not just hit her head very hard and was imagining those unbelievable things were happening to her – was telling her that whatever was waiting for them in that house couldn't possibly be worse than fighting a dragon.  
Or watching a man she had really cared about die before her eyes. Or that haunting moment when she had thought Henry had died, scared and alone and without knowing how much she had come to love him. For a mother it couldn't get any worse than _that_.  
But the fear of the others was contagious. It seeped through her like wet cold on a winter's day, filling her too with dread until she found it difficult to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  
"Things are not always what they seem. Just look at you", Hook said but his voice lacked the usual joy he took in their little banters. "You look like a flower, yet you are easily one of the scariest things I've ever come across. Including what we'll be up against in a few moments." He squared his shoulders with a huff. "Let's get this over with. And just so we're clear - I'll do the talking."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Long time no see. Thank SH Week on Tumblr for reviving my joy in writing this story (or don't, depending on how you find this chapter^^). Special thanks to Kris for beta reading this chapter - I know it's a long one *kiss***

**Now have fun =)**

* * *

The stench that hit them when they entered the taproom was nauseating and unlike anything Aurora had ever experienced before. She covered her nose with the corner of Hook's cloak. It smelled like wood floor and smoke and man. She had always thought all men had to smell like Philip – like soap and a clear summer breeze wafting through the rose gardens at home.  
This was something else entirely, something more primal and almost dangerous. It made her feel oddly lightheaded. She let the cloak fall from her face again, trying to breathe through her mouth alone and only when absolutely necessary.

A stunned silence had fallen over the room upon their entrance. All eyes – sometimes more than the usual two and sometimes less – were on them. They were being stared at with the same stunned air of surprise in which they were taking in the scene before them.  
To say that the room was a mess would have been an understatement. It was filthy and filled with a smoke that burnt in their eyes. When they moved something gooey kept sticking to the soles of their shoes. And then there were the creatures. Aurora's grip on Snow's hand tightened.  
It was like they had walked into one of her worst nightmares. There were countless of horrifying creatures she was sure she had never heard of before and never wanted to. And then there were those figures that could have looked almost human had it not been for the fact that they were mangled beyond recognition - like they had gone and adapted to this terrible place. There was a hideous old woman that seemed to be staring at them through empty eyeholes and a little man with a hunch almost twice the size of his head was scurrying around between the tables with jagged growlers in both his hands. She heard Snow's sharp intake of breath as she discovered the little baskets dangling from the ceiling. Aurora had seen them, too.  
What she had first thought were lampions scantily illuminating the room had on a closer look turned out to be cages. And in those cages, coiled up into themselves, and already flickering in and out of life like dying candles laid at least a dozen fairies.  
Aurora felt the sharp sting of tears at the memory of her fairy godmothers and she briefly prayed to whatever good spirits that might have still been in this world, that none of them would be among those pitiable captives.

"Let's make this quick", Hook said and, standing as close to him as she did, Aurora noticed how he too had gone a little pale around his nose.  
He led the way, doing a decent job at pretending he was untouched by the eyes following their every move as they crossed the room. Aurora saw a pack of trolls who were hunched at a table together. They were staring right at her. She felt Mulan's hand on her back. "Stay close to me", the warrior whispered and Aurora knew her well enough by now to know that she was on high alert – even more so than usual.  
Hook was heading for a table at the far end of the room, standing in a dimly lit corner by the roughly timbered bar. At first Aurora thought it was empty, but then she spotted the tiny figure sitting on the table top with crossed legs. It wasn't much taller than the length of her forearm, the skin was a sickly grey color and its eyes were pitch black and seemed to reflect the light like a cat's. When its mouth opened into a broad grin it exposed two rows of sharp, pointy teeth.  
_Made to tear flesh_, Aurora thought with a shudder.

"Captain Jones! Long time no see!" The imp exclaimed and there was something in its cheery voice that rang false with her. Even though it sounded very much like a children's voice, it had an unpleasant quality to it – like fingernails grazing over a slate - that had the soft hairs on her neck stand on end. "And in such _lovely_ company. To what happenstance do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"  
"Oh, you know, Tom… The usual", Hook replied with demonstrative casualty and pulled up a chair. He sat down at the table, but not before making sure that he had the best possible overview of the rest of the room and would be able to draw his sword without hindrance if necessary. "I was in the area. I had time to spare. I was in the mood for a bad rum and good business..."  
"Business, eh?" The imp's eyes gleamed with the prospect of a good bargain. "Last time I found you in this mood you and your bird were searching for a place where you would be young and stupidly in love forever. How did that go?"  
There was a nasty expression of glee on its wizened, little face, when Hook's good hand balled into a tight fist and his eyes mechanically darted to the tattoo on his forearm. It might have been covered by his sleeve now, but Tom had seen it before – a long time ago, when it had still been fresh and raw and full of promises and the pirate's eyes had shone with a lust for love and for life. Forever, if he could.  
A heavy silence had fallen over the table, until Hook finally looked up again. He motioned for the little man with the hunch. "I want rum. Make it a double. No, wait… Just bring me the bottle." He turned around to the women. "Want anything, lovelies?"  
When the four of them shook their heads in hectic unison, he turned back to Tom with a shrug, while the porter hurried away to fetch his order.  
"It was good", Hook finally answered the imps question with a nonchalant wave of his hand, but the slight hoarseness in his voice gave him away. "Then it wasn't. But I'm not here to wallow in memories with you."  
The porter came back with his drink. Hook didn't even bother with the stained glass and just took a hearty swallow straight from the half-full bottle. He leaned back in his chair, obviously more at ease again. "I'm here to make you a very tempting offer – for the right price of course."

"I'm curious to see what it is you think you could have to offer _me_, Jones. The goods I trade with have become very rare these days and very dangerous to come by. And of course it's always a matter of the price one is willing to pay", Tom scooted closer across the table. His face was contorted with greed. "Now tell me. What is it you have? And what do you want in return?"  
Hook took his time to answer, purposely toying with the imp's curiosity. He placidly took another mouthful of rum from the bottle, and then leaned over the table and closer to Tom who was now fidgeting with visible impatience.  
"How would you like to get your hands on a way to penetrate the world's last bean stalk and the unimaginable treasure on the top?" He saw a brief flicker of suspiciousness ghosting over the imp's face, so he quickly added: "I've been there. All the way to the top. I've seen it, I swear by my hand. More gold and diamonds than you could ever dream of and I wouldn't be surprised if you'd find one or two magical artifacts of value there as well."

Emma opened her mouth to protest. Despite everything that had happened on top of the bean stalk and despite the fact that she had no idea how else they were supposed to get home, she wasn't fond of the idea of helping some shady monsters to raid the world's last giant. She stopped, however, when Snow lightly touched her arm.  
When Emma looked up, she saw nothing but understanding in her mother's eyes. "I know", she said and her voice was barely audible over the background noises. "But it's all we have to offer. Think about Henry. Let him do this."  
It took her effort, unbelievably so, but in the end Emma nodded and silently watched as the negotiation continued.

The imp was intently examining the pirate before him, trying to assess the possibility of him telling the truth.  
"Suppose I believed you – and just so you know, I don't – how exactly does your mysterious way up the bean stalk look like? And even more importantly, what makes you so desperate that you would trade it away?"  
"Unfortunately gold and diamonds are not exactly what I need right now", Hook sighed in played melancholy. "And even more unfortunately, some enemies cannot to be vanquished with swords or gunpowder and I am as magically talented as a rock."  
"I'm certain no one makes powerful enemies quite like you do", Tom mocked, but even though he still seemed distrustful, he was clearly intrigued by the prospect of indescribable riches. Imps might have been business savvy like no other species, but first and foremost they were greedy little creatures. "Hands down, Jones. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."  
"I like the way this is heading", Hook announced, as he reached into his satchel. He pulled out Cora's enchanted vambraces and put them on the table between them. "They each allow one person to climb the bean stalk, which otherwise is impenetrable. You could, I don't know, try wearing it around your waist. I suggest however that you look for someone a little more… burly to accompany you. You don't exactly scream 'giant slayer'."  
"Is that all?" Tom might have feigned indifference, but his little hands were itching with the urge to touch the objects before him. But when he reached out to do so, Hook quickly snatched them away and put them back in his satchel with a knowing smile. "This isn't exactly what I would call a tempting offer. So what if I'm able to climb a bean stalk with these? They won't help me get past the giant nor will they help me carry the treasure. These, my friend, are useless."  
"And yet you want them", Hook said and fondly patted his satchel. "You are a clever little man, Tom; we both know you will think of something. You're not going to let something as petty as a giant stand between you and the biggest treasure in all the realms. So I suggest you quit playing games with me and show me what you have to offer in return. Otherwise I'm sure there will be plenty of others who would love to take a closer look at these."  
"No!" Tom quickly leapt to his feet and grabbed him by the sleeve. It only served to underline the massive difference in size between them and made for a very unsettling sight. He glared at Hook. "Fine. Looks like you've figured me all out. Of course I want them. I'd be a fool if I didn't." He let go of Hook's sleeve and scudded to a small chest on the other side of the table. Like with everything else, it looked enormous in comparison with him. When he raised the top to rummage around inside it, he had to stand on tiptoes.

After a while he looked up. "I could offer you a sleeping potion in return. A very potent one. I brewed it myself."  
"That's not enough." Mulan surprised everyone by being the one to speak up. "We could easily brew our own with what herbs we find in the woods. And it won't be enough to stop Cora. The imp has to make a better offer."  
"The imp can hear you", Tom hissed. "Has no one told you that it's ill-mannered to speak about someone like they can't hear you when clearly they can?"  
"They do that a lot", Hook noted and winked at them over his shoulder. "You get used to it with time. And she is right. We want more than that."  
"Show us that little, round vial." Snow was leaning over the table now, because peeking into the chest from where she was standing, she thought she had seen something very familiar. She pointed her finger. "The one with the silver plug."

"I see someone is well versed in the dark arts." Tom sounded genuinely impressed. "And you look like such a flower. Way to teach you never to judge a book by its cover." He pulled the vial out of the chest with visible effort and put it down on the table. He didn't look too happy to have to show off one of his more valuable possessions. "I'm not sure if it will be enough if Cora is really the one you want to go after, but it certainly won't hurt to have it either."  
"What does it do?" Aurora asked, looking at the rather unimpressive substance. Out of the corner of her eyes she could still see the trolls staring at her from across the room. They were talking to each other, but never took their eyes off her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest to hide her shaking hands, when one of them stood up and walked over to the bar. She hoped they would get this whole deal over with quickly, so that they could leave this horrible place.  
"It transforms anything into a form that can be easily squashed", Snow replied. "It's a powerful weapon. Very dangerous but just what we need."  
"Sounds fine to me", Emma stated. "More than fine. This has to be the best thing I've heard in days." She looked at Snow. "How is it you know what it does?"  
Snow smiled. "Remind me to tell you the story of how I met your father sometime."  
"Can we please concentrate just for a little longer? I don't know about you, Ladies, but I have every intention of spending the night as far away from here as possible." Hook took the vambraces back out of the bag and placed them on the table next to the fairy dust. "Do we have a deal?"

The imp still seemed vexed by the fact that they hadn't gone for his first offer. Black fairy dust had become as scarce as black fairies themselves since the curse and it would probably cost him months to get his hands on a new stock. But a chance to plunder the world's last giant hoard was a chance he would never get again. It might not have been the kind of bargain he had wanted to make, but just this once he was willing to live with that. The gold and the diamonds would hopefully more than make up for that.  
"We have a deal", he said and extended his hand. "I'll need a map to that bean stalk. And should you fail, Cora can never know I had anything to do with this."  
"I don't think there will be a lot left for us to tell, if we fail." Hook replied and touched his index finger to the imp's hand to seal the deal. Then he retrieved a crinkled piece of parchment from the satchel. It was the map Cora had drawn for him, so he would find the bean stalk after making his way into the group of women. He had silently hoped Tom wouldn't think of that wee, little detail, but it couldn't be helped. A deal was a deal - and the giant had looked like someone who could very well look after himself. "As soon as we're out of here, it's going to be like we've never met you."  
He took the black fairy dust from the table, but when he wanted to put it into his satchel, Emma tapped his shoulder with a meaningful cough.  
"You really show no mercy on my tattered reputation", Hook stated with a lopsided grin and handed her the vial. He tossed a few coins on the table to pay for the rum and stood up. "Unless you lovelies changed your minds and want to stay for dinner, I'd say we're done here."

"I don't think I'll ever be hungry again", Emma gave back dryly and slid the vial into the pocket of her leather jacket. "Let's get out of here."  
"Your wish is my command." Hook took the rum bottle from the table. After all, he had already paid for it and seeing the company he was travelling in, he had a feeling he would soon be grateful for a little liquid comfort. He nodded in Tom's direction and tipped his hand to a hat he wasn't wearing. "Always a pleasure doing business with you, big fella."  
But the imp was already busy with tucking the vambraces into his chest and had forgotten everything around him.  
"Rude", Hook commented and turned for the exit. "Let's move. The night is short and we have a long way to go."

They had made it halfway through the taproom, when the troll Aurora had seen going to the bar blocked their way out. "Leaving already?"

* * *

Hook took an involuntary step back and collided with Snow and Emma who had been walking right behind him. Aurora turned her head and found that the other trolls were getting up from the table and coming over to where they were standing. Next to her Mulan drew her sword. Aurora's throat grew tight with fear. She should have known that it had been too good to be true. Ever since she had woken up from the curse, nothing had been easy, how could she have believed for just one moment, that their luck would change here of all places?  
"Let us pass", Snow demanded. "We have to be on our way."

The troll looked her over with his eyebrows raised. Then he threw his head back in a laugh. It was a nasty sound that rolled through his chest like faraway thunder. "Big words from a little woman." He turned to Hook. "You should teach your goods how to behave around a possible taker."  
"Charming", Hook said and his voice was just a tad too high not to betray his fear. "Unfortunately, these lovely ladies are not for sale. And we were just leaving. But I'll make sure to think about you, the next time I'm around."  
He made an attempt to walk past the troll, but the heavy creature grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and easily lifted him off his feet. The rum bottle fell out of his hand and rolled away and under the next table.  
"Everything is sellable for the right price", he growled. "You can't walk in here with a display like that in tow and not expect to do business." He walked past Emma and Snow, dragging Hook behind him by his collar. "We negotiate now."

When he came to a halt in front of Aurora, Mulan made a move to go at him, but Snow grabbed her by the arm to stop her. "Don't", she hissed.  
"We have to do something." Mulan was taut like a bow ready to fire.  
"I have traded with trolls before", Snow persisted. "They are rough creatures by nature, but we're not in danger. Not yet. Not if we're careful. Trust me, please."  
Mulan didn't seem convinced, but after looking from Snow to the troll holding Hook and finally to the trolls who were standing a few yards away, but still close enough to intervene if necessary, she let her sword arm fall back to her side. "If anything happens, it will be on you", she warned.  
The troll was watching them out of the corner of his eyes. "You can keep those. Plucky females taste like unripe fruit", he said and laughed over his own crude comment. He turned to Aurora. "But this one is different", he noted with a purr of delight that made her stomach churn. He took a strand of her hair and, lifting it to his face, took a deep, luxurious breath. "She is untouched and she is scared. She smells of innocence and fear. What a delicate bouquet that makes."

Aurora squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the terrible sight of the troll circling around her like a hunter did around its prey, with Hook stumbling behind him. When she felt his breath on her face – hot and stale like brackish water – she bit down on her tongue until she tasted blood to hold back the panicked sob threatening to escape. "And she is noble, too, that one. Ah, I would pay dearly for a taste of that blood."  
"Like I said. She's not part of the bargain." Suddenly and with a move so swift no one had seen it coming, Hook had drawn his sword.  
When Aurora opened her eyes she could see he was holding it to the troll's throat, not caring that the creature was still holding him by the yoke. He still had to tilt his head to glare at the troll and his voice was dripping with the promise of bloodshed. "Now leave her alone or you will pay dearly."  
"Now we might be in danger", Snow muttered, thinking how this was the worst possible moment for Hook to explore his honorable side.

"Trying to keep the best to ourselves, are we?" The troll chuckled, unimpressed by the cool steel of the blade against his neck. "You say you come to do business but all you end up doing is trading trinkets with a mite instead of working with what else you could be offering. You're preparing yourself for a fight, but you lack the will to do whatever it takes to win." He roughly put Hook back on his feet with a grunt of disdain. The pirate crashed into a table and his sword fell to the ground with a loud clatter. "Cora will smite every last one of you."  
"Nothing you could have to offer me, would make me accept", Hook spat as he picked himself up again. "I'm a pirate, not a monster."  
"That's too bad, because the monster might get to live while the pirate dies a painful death." The troll shrugged and motioned for his comrades to return to their table. "Heroes are but dead gentlemen. Honor won't save you, pirate. You better start to remember that when Cora comes for you."

He made a move to push past them and leave, but the feeling of a tiny hand touching his arm stopped him. "Wait!" It was Aurora.  
She felt like she was about to faint from fright. She felt the other's eyes on her. "What do you think you're doing?" Hook asked, as he watched what he had thought was a potentially lethal act of chivalry go to waste. "Have you lost your mind, lass?"  
"I want to see what he has to offer", Aurora replied and even though the sight of the troll still had her blood turn to ice, she somehow succeeded to look him straight in the eyes without her legs giving in beneath her. "A taste of my blood. What do you have to give in return?"  
"Really?" The troll examined her like she was some rare breed and he couldn't quite believe his eyes. "I've never tasted blood a maiden has given willingly. It could be a most delicious experience…"  
"It comes with a price", Aurora reminded him, now with more confidence. "And I'm not yet convinced that you are able to pay it."  
"You are not the delicate porcelain doll I took you for", the troll noted and reached into his cloak. The vial he fetched out of it was even smaller than the one they had gotten from Tom. It was filled with something that looked a lot like embers. Not the glittery magic kind that they had yet to steal from Cora, but the kind of mundane ashes one would expect to find in a cold fireplace. He let the vial dangle in front of Aurora's face. "Have you ever heard of ban powder? It's a very rare substance, mostly because its ingredients are very rare. Its base is the ash of a burnt witch. There are only three alchemists alive who know the recipe. It is passed on by word of mouth from a mentor to his apprentice. It has never once been written down."

"I've never heard of this ban powder before", Hook said and lowly whistled through his teeth. "But I sure do like the sound of it."  
"If inhaled, this will rid anyone of their magical abilities", the troll explained, now ignoring Hook as he had chosen the valiant young princess as his new counterpart in this negotiation. "The effect is not permanent, unfortunately. It will wear off after a few days. But a witch bereft of her powers is merely a woman and she will bleed like one if you strike her."  
Aurora took a deep breath. "So it's the powder in exchange for my blood." She squared her shoulders and extended her hand. "Do we have a deal?"  
"We do", the troll replied, but instead of taking her hand, he picked Hook's sword up from the floor and held it out to her. "And you will pay upfront."

Aurora jumped, when she felt Hook's hand on the small of her back. "You don't have to do this", he murmured and the intensity of his gaze had her heart skip a beat. "You don't have to sacrifice yourself like that."  
"Don't be foolish", Aurora gave back as she fought to gather what little courage the strain of the past days and those last moments had left her with. "Of course I have to do this. It's our best chance to beat Cora."  
She looked around for a glass or a cup, anything to catch her blood in and when she found nothing else, she went and stooped down to where Hook's bottle had rolled under the table. She picked it up and wiped the neck of the bottle with her cloak. She found the time for being ladylike was well past and downed what little rum had not been spilled when the bottle had fallen to the floor, in one hefty swallow. The liquor tasted terrible, but she felt like the burning sensation of it pouring down her throat helped calming her fluttering nerves.  
She turned back to the troll who was still holding the sword in his hand.  
"I'm ready."

Aurora clasped her hand around the blade and quickly – before she had a chance to think it over – clenched it into a tight fist. It didn't hurt as much as she had expected it would. There was a quick, sharp pain as the blade cut through her flesh, but then there was only a peculiar throbbing sensation which seemed to be strangely in tune with her erratic heartbeat.  
She watched in an oddly detached way as the blood started to pool, deep red and slick, in the palm of her hand.  
She held her hand over the bottle and let the blood fall into it in thick droplets. The troll licked his lips as he watched the blood slowly dripping into the vessel. His nostrils flared as he tried to take in the scent of it.  
All around them talk at the other tables seemed to die away and again it looked like all eyes were on them. On her. Some of the creatures were sniffing the air like bloodhounds.  
Aurora briefly remembered what Hook had told her before, about creatures devouring women like her, but she was way past caring now. After days of trotting behind the others and feeling like nothing but a burden, she had finally found a way to do her part in this quest.  
What was a bit of her blood compared to the prospect of defeating Cora and helping Snow and Emma get back to their loved ones?

"I think that's quite enough now", Hook said firmly, when the bottle was almost half full and took it from her, while Emma held her hand out to the troll for him to give her the vial with the ban powder.  
The troll looked at Emma with something close to a mock scold. "It's not yours to take", he said. He then took Aurora's bleeding hand and closed it around the vial. "It's hers."  
He took the bottle from Hook and held his sword out to him in return. "I think you should leave now. Others might get a craving for your little princess, too. And they won't be willing to trade for her blood."

* * *

"Now that was an experience I don't need to repeat anytime soon", Hook announced cheerfully when the tavern door fell shut behind them. "And you!" He put his sword back into its scabbard and turned to look at Aurora, who was clutching the vial with the ban powder to her chest with her bleeding hand. "I should shake you into oblivion for doing something so utterly stupid!" He beamed at her as he said it. "Don't do something like that ever again, do you hear me, lassie? Never again."  
Then he surprised everyone by grabbing her by the back of her neck and kissing her hard on the mouth. Aurora yelped in surprise at the unexpected contact. She put out her good hand to shove him away, but he had already pulled back with a grin. "Let's go then, shall we?" He started to walk, when some kind of delayed reaction set in. He turned back to Aurora who was staring at him with wide eyes and her lips half parted in shock.  
The kiss had been merely a way to express his relief at making it out of that hell hole in one piece. He hadn't even thought about it. It had just happened in the heat of the moment. It had not been something made to rouse any kind of feeling inside him. And yet it had done just that…  
Hook opened his mouth to say something, but for once in his life he found that he was at a complete loss for words.

"He's right. We should get going", Emma interrupted the awkward silence and Hook didn't miss the scornful look she regarded him with. "It's already pitch dark and we need to find a place where we can set up the camp."

* * *

"I don't think I like the way Hook's looking at our little princess." Emma told Snow later when they finally found themselves back in the safe embrace of the forest. Hook was leading the way. Their little adventure earlier this evening had given his steps an extra lightness they hadn't seen about him before. It looked like pirates did indeed run on rum and adrenaline.  
Mulan and Aurora were walking behind them. The younger woman had started to feel a little faint shortly after they had left the tavern, even though Emma suspected that it was because of the agitation rather than because of the actual blood loss. Mulan had tended to her hand and was now holding her up as they walked. They were all tired. It was time to pick a place to rest soon.  
"Did you know they spent the last nights talking? I woke up a few times and I saw them sitting by the fire together. She already started siding with him and his suicide missions. I don't like it. A pirate is not some romantic hero."

"I have an impressive collection of paperback novels at home that suggest otherwise", Snow replied with a mild smile. "I think it's nice that she has someone to take her mind off the nightmares – believe me I remember how it feels to be scared to fall asleep. Without Charming I would have lost my mind" She shuddered at the memory. "And if I'm not mistaken we've all gone with Hook's ideas in the end because we didn't have any of our own. I'm sure our little princess knows better than to be smitten with his pirate's charms. If tonight has taught us one thing, then it's that there is much more to Aurora than what meets the eye. I think she can take care of herself."  
"The last time someone thought the same thing about me, I ended up having a kid in jail." Emma muttered. She however regretted her harsh words as soon as she saw Snow looking at her with tears in her eyes. She sighed.

"You know that I didn't mean it like that. I just don't want to see the girl get hurt. She is nothing like you and me. Yes, she's a lot tougher than I thought she was, I give her that, but a girl's heart is a completely different thing. I don't think she knows how to take care of it."  
"You have a good heart", Snow said and her voice was thick with emotion. "I just wish I could say I had something to do with it."  
"And I wish you would stop doing this to yourself, Mary Margaret", Emma replied and put a comforting arm around her quietly sniffling mother. "You did what you thought was best for me – I of all people should have seen that. And you were the one who encouraged me to stay in Storybrooke; to pull my walls down and fight for Henry. I owe you the best thing I have in my life. Next time you want to drown yourself in self-reproach, you better remember that."  
And in an attempt to lighten the mood she added: "I'll still keep an eye on our favorite pirate."

Snow briefly allowed herself to rest her head against her daughter's shoulder as she laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he'll love that."


End file.
